The following video is a clip from a television programme.
The programme featured a footage of a boy who was rescued by a lifeguard when he appeared to be drowning in the sea. The interview in the video clip provides great advice on the signs of drowning and also introduces us to a range of useful words and content for our writing.
'Drowning Signs Aren't Like the Movies', 27 Jul 2011, WIBTV, YouTube
After viewing both videos, did you notice some similarities? 1) The people around the struggling swimmers did not know that they were drowning. They were oblivious to what was going on. 2) Both of the children's heads were bobbing up and down the water. They were trying desperately to gasp for air. 3) Although both the boy and the girl were splashing about the water frantically, to the other swimmers, they looked like they were 'playing' or fooling around. 4) Both the boy and the girl could not scream or wave their hands for help.
My pupils often had problems developing their stories about drowning or near-drowning accidents. The lack of information and (thank goodness!) personal experience makes it difficult for pupils to elaborate and develop the content of their compositions realistically. After scouring the internet for suitable videos (no bikini-clad images...) and resources, the following video shows an actual lifeguard rescue of a little girl, who had fallen from her huge ring float, after the wave pool function was activated. The girl (right-hand side of video) falls from her ring at 0:29.
'Wavepool Lifeguard Rescue', 29 Apr 2013, by Lifeguard Rescue, YouTube
On a Personal Note: Before we go into the dynamics of writing a composition related to drowning or near-drowning, I would like to emphasise the importance of observing water safety procedures and rules. Singapore being a tropical island, we often succumb to the inviting waters at our beaches and pools for a temporary respite from the suffocating heat. I love to swim too. But do bear in mind that if we are not strong swimmers, we stay near the edge or at the shallow ends. If we are good swimmers, we stay alert (and away from any form of sedation or alcoholic drinks) when entering the water. If we have children with us, they are our priority and everything else can and must wait. Too many tragedies have occurred because of negligence and such tragedies can (most often) be avoided. I also feel the need to applaud the hard work of vigilant lifeguards who keep watch tirelessly under the scorching sun. Thank you! Now, back to work. 1) Can you think of of words related to the events occurring in the video? You might want to brainstorm according to the nouns, then verbs, then adjectives / adverbs you think might be applicable.
For example: Nouns - swimming pool, children, ring floats... Verbs - screaming, playing, splashing... Adjectives - large blue, clear, inviting, cool, scorching, slippery Adverbs - happily, mischievously, frantically.. 2) If you are given a picture composition and the picture is a still of this video at 0:29 (the moment the girl falls into the water), what are some of the sentences or phrases or ideas you can think of after watching the events unfold in the video?
For this activity, try to organize your thoughts and brainstorm for relevant ideas chronologically. Remember that you can always imagine how the story may unfold. The above video clip can provide you loads of ideas for the main part your writing. You'll still need to firm up ideas for the beginning and concluding part of the composition.
As I was preparing 'Selected Reading Material 3: A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown', I realized that most of us will have absolutely no idea what it was like to be trapped in the MRT carriages. So after browsing through many videos, I finally found one that has been properly edited and does not contain inappropriate language or is from a questionable source. The only catch is that it is in Chinese but has good subtitles (Use 'Full-Screen' to see subtitles clearly). Do pause appropriately to catch the subtitles if necessary. However, do be take note that the video is meant as a visual stimulant to help writers visualize the content they can use for their composition.
(Source, Frontline 《SMRT Worst Breakdown》with Subtitle 前线 《地铁大瘫痪》Pt1/2 - 23Dec2011, 154media, Youtube) What to look out for: 1) Winding queues for the shuttle buses. taxis outside the train stations 2) Footage of situation in the train carriages 3) Footage of commuters walking in the underground tunnels to the nearest stations 4) Feelings of the commuters interviewed 5) What the authorities planned to do to prevent similar incidents from occurring again This post supplements 'Selected Reading Material 3: A Train (MRT / Subway) Breakdown'.
(Part 2 has been added) Watching television programs can also come in handy for building content in composition writing. However, it again comes down to being selective. 'Crime Watch' is one of best programs I'd recommend, as the show re-enacts the whole process from the crime / accident taking place to the police investigation, unfolding the story line like a dream-come-true for students struggling for realistic content! Remember my post about the basics of writing a composition? (Conjure up) Think of the scenes in which your story unfolds, then brainstorm for appropriate words / phrases to use. A useful video can help a student build up the scenes. Exposure to these selected videos and with sufficient practice, a struggling writer, who lacks content, will have a lot more to write about!
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Watch the following video till 2:33 and take note of the questions below. You can watch the video and review the questions as frequent as necessary, as the repetition will help the content take root in your memory!
Questions to take note of: 1) How did the robbers try to avoid being recognized by the old woman? 2) Why was the old woman trembling uncontrollably? 3) What did the robbers do after they covered the old woman's face? 4) When the policeman / detective / investigator asked the old woman if she saw the faces of the robbers, why do you think she paused before answering them? What is the purpose of the 'flashback' ? 5) What did the policemen do immediately after they spoke to the old woman? 6) Who saw the robbers (couple) loitering around the void deck? 7) Were the police successful in catching the robber the first time they visited their flat? Why? 8) What did the police do after that? Can you watch the video beyond 2:33? Sure! I just feel that the latter part may seem confusing to a younger audience i.e. the couple rented the flat, the owner (man) is not one of the robbers etc. Unless an adult / parent is around to explain what is going on, else, the content till 2:33 is really quite sufficient!
Now, Let's give
the old woman in the video a name - Mdm Lim
Here are
some likely answers to the above questions:
1) The
robbers threw a cloth over Mdm Lim's face so that she would not recognize them
and describe them to the police.
2) Mdm Lim
was so frightened that she began shaking uncontrollably.
3) When the
robbers were certain that Mdm Lim was not able to see anything, they started to
rummage through her things and even pried open a locked drawer. The robbers got
away with some jewelry and other valuables worth more than xxx dollars.
4) At
first, Mdm Lim was overwhelmed with fear and she could not recall the robbers'
faces. After calming down, she closed her eyes and tried to remember how the
whole incident happened. Then, she saw their faces! When the male robber was
about to cover her face with the towel, she caught a glimpse of their
appearance! The investigators quickly took down notes while Mdm Lim described as
much as she could remember.
5) Using
the information from Mdm Lim's statement, the investigators began talking to
passers-by and the residents living around Mdm Lim's flat.
6) Luck was
on their side when a passerby recalled seeing a couple who fitted the police's
description.
7) The
passerby directed them to a nearby flat. When the police visited the flat, no
one answered the door.
8) The
investigators decided to conduct a stakeout around the flat and waited for the
owner to return.
There is so
much content here to liven up any basic composition about robberies!
Now, let's
use the content for a proper composition!
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Here is a
sample question for continuous writing:
Alex was home
alone as his parents were still at work. After finishing his homework, he
decided to take a nap in his bedroom. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he
heard a noise coming from the living room. When he peeped outside, he was
astonished to see two strangers opening the front door and creeping quietly
into his home...
Based on the
above situation, write a composition of at least 150 words using the following
points:
-Who were
these strangers
-What happened
after they entered Alex's house
-What
happened in the end
You may
reorder the points and / or include your own.
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"Finally done! That was a lot of
homework!" sighed Alex. He was already feeling exhausted and really wanted
to take a nap. However, before jumping into bed, Alex called his mother to report
to her about his day's work. "You sure? Alright then, you can take your
nap. When your father and I get home from work, we'll buy you your favourite
chicken rice for dinner! Make sure that you've locked the doors properly!"
reminded his mother.
Right after he hung up the phone, Alex
fell right into bed. He was simply too tired to check the front door. His
eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand tonnes and it only took a few minutes
before he began drifting into dreamland. Suddenly, he heard a loud 'crack'!
Alex's eyes shot wide open! "What is that sound?" he asked himself.
Before he could even jump out of bed, he heard the front door creak open. Alex
quickly peeped out of his bedroom and he was astonished to see two stranger in
his living room!
"Robbers! What am I going to do?
I must have forgotten to lock the door!"he thought. Suddenly, his bedroom door
swung open and Alex came face to face with the perpetrators. Although the men
were shocked to see him, they reacted quickly and threw an old rag over his
face. One of the men tied him up and told him to be quiet, while the other man
rummaged through his things. He also heard them prying open the locked drawers
in his parents' room. By the time his parents got home hours later, Alex was
still shaking uncontrollably on his bedroom floor.
Alex's parents immediately made a
police report. When the police asked Alex to describe the robbers, he was so
overwhelmed with fear that he could not remember anything. After he managed to
calm down, he closed his eyes and gradually recalled the whole incident. That
was when the robbers' faces flashed into his mind. With the description
provided, the police began interviewing passers-by and residents living nearby.
Luck was on their side as someone remembered seeing the two men fleeing the
scene. After establishing their identity, the police conducted a stakeout
outside their flat and caught the suspects when they were on their way home.
Once bitten, twice shy. Alex promised always
to be cautious in the future. He never wanted to experience another robbery
ever again.
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As you can see, there are quite a number of ideas from the video used in this composition. The content from the video has made the storyline a lot more realistic and also more interesting to read. You might want to get your child to attempt the above question and help them inject some of the ideas learnt from the video. Hope this resource is useful to you and your child! **This concludes 'Video Resources: Robbery(1)'**
